'You Stole Someone's Dog': Judge Metes Out Tough Sentence

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI – The man who helped himself to Kodi, a Siberian Husky tethered outside while his owner shopped at a Bloomfield Township grocery store late last year, was sentenced to a year in jail Thursday.

Joseph S. Benson, 29, of Clarkston pleaded no contest last month to charges related to the theft of the dog, whose disappearance became an Internet and media sensation. Within hours of viral social media posts, Kodi’s owner got a tip that the dog might be in Clarkston and informed Bloomfield Township police.

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• Siberian Husky Stolen While Owner Shops
• Happy Tails: ‘Dognapped’ Kodi Comes Home
• Alleged Thief in the Doghouse (But So Is Owner)

During his sentencing Thursday, Benson apologized for taking the dog, Hometownlife.com reports, but 48th District Judge Marc Barron wasn’t swayed.

Barron gave Benson — whose criminal record includes four felony and three misdemeanor convictions and parole violations in Georgia, Ohio and Michigan — the maximum sentence allowed under the law.

Chris Barnett, who tethered the dog, spoke briefly before Benson was sentenced.

“Anyone who ever owned a dog knows how quickly they become a part of the family — and Kodi was certainly a part of our family,” Barnett said. “To our family, he’s much more valuable than a dollar amount.”

After the dog was stolen, some social media users turned on Barnett and said he acted irresponsibly in tying the dog outside while he shopped for about 20 minutes.

“I hope this event scared the dog owner a lot,” one reader of a Patch.com story wrote. “Maybe next time they want to do a little shopping they will act like a responsible dog owner and take the dog home first.”

Said another: “I wouldn’t dream of leaving my dog tied to a pole while I shopped. I do hope they get the dog back and the thief prosecuted, but better yet, I hope they all learned a lesson.”